How to start a membership: ideas, pricing and launch

A membership asks someone for an ongoing commitment, so they need a reason the value continues after the first payment: a regular class, new resources, feedback, early access or a community they’d miss.

Write down the problem that returns each month and the specific help you’ll give. A long list of vague benefits is harder to deliver and harder for customers to judge.

Ask a few customers which part they’d use regularly and what would make the commitment hard. Their answers might show that a class pass or one-off product is a better place to start.

• Studios and coaches: a set number of classes a month, or unlimited classes, with member pricing on workshops.
• Creators and podcasters: bonus episodes, early releases, behind-the-scenes posts and a members’ chat.
• Teachers and tutors: monthly lessons or a library of resources that grows over time.
• Cafés, makers and local shops: a monthly treat, member discounts and first access to new things.
• Clubs: paid membership with free sessions and member-only events, such as a run club with a members’ kit.

Map out the first three months. Include preparing each benefit, delivering it, answering members’ questions and the admin. Plan around a normal week, not your best one.

A simple starter membership might be one monthly group session and one new resource. Say whether recordings are available, how long resources stay available and whether one-to-one support is included. Only offer what you can actually provide.

Set a limit if your time is part of the benefit. Ten people wanting personal feedback is a very different workload from ten people downloading the same worksheet.

Work out what each month costs you to deliver in time and money, then decide how many members you need for it to be worth it. If the answer is more members than you can realistically find, make the benefit cheaper to deliver or raise the price.

Say what members get, how often they pay and when benefits arrive. Explain whether there’s a minimum term, how to cancel and what happens to access afterwards, and keep it the same as how you set the membership up.

Don’t suggest that recurring income is guaranteed or passive. Members leave, payments fail and delivery still takes work. If you offer tiers, make each step up clearly worth it; for a first launch, one simple membership is often easier to run.

If you run classes, a class pass may suit some regulars better than a monthly plan. Shovva does both, and a membership can include classes. See Shovva for classes, coaches and clubs and the Northwall Yoga example.

In Shovva, create the membership with monthly or yearly payment and, if you like, a free trial of 7, 14 or 30 days. Members get a members’ area for your posts, files and updates, and can cancel from their account, keeping access until the end of what they paid for. Complete payment setup for a paid membership. See memberships on Shovva and The Practice Room for a members’ club.

If part of the membership happens somewhere else, such as a live call or a group chat, say so and explain how members get access.

Check the members view in your dashboard and know what each status means. Have a clear route for questions about access, billing or leaving.

Your first members are most likely to be existing customers, regulars and followers. Tell them first, by email and in person, before you post publicly. Explain what members get in the first month specifically, not just in general.

A short founding window, such as the first month, with something real for early members, like a welcome session, can help, as long as it really ends when you say it does.

Your first welcome message should say where to start, when the next benefit arrives and how to ask for help. Keep it short enough to follow without hunting through emails.

After each month, note what members used, where they needed help and whether you kept to your schedule. Ask focused questions such as “Which part was most useful?” and “What was hard to find?” Improve the core benefit before adding more.

When someone cancels, ask one optional question about why. A few honest answers tell you more than any report.

How much should I charge for a membership?

Start from what it costs you to deliver each month and how many members you can realistically get, then compare it with what your customers already spend on you. If regulars spend £40 a month on classes, a membership near that with clear extra value is easier to say yes to than a much higher price.

Should I offer a free trial?

A short trial helps when people need to see the value first, such as a members’ area or a class membership. If your benefit is a one-off item people could take and leave, a trial may cost more than it earns. On Shovva, trials can be 7, 14 or 30 days.

What’s the difference between a membership and a class pass?

A class pass is paid once for a set number of classes, used at the member’s pace. A membership renews automatically, usually monthly, and often includes extras beyond classes. Some regulars prefer one, some the other, so many studios offer both.

How do I stop members cancelling?

You can’t stop every cancellation, and you shouldn’t make leaving hard. Members stay when they use the benefit regularly, so make the first month easy to get value from, keep to your schedule and keep improving what they use most.